-
Frank Chase Jr
a book bubble about
Kleptomaniac
Christian Books & Bibles
Author Insight
Did Abram Pay a Tithe From His Personal Wealth?
The cries from the pulpit that believers should follow Abram’s example and pay tithes like Abram did almost rings true until you study what he actually paid as a tithe. This book excerpt shows that Abram never paid money as a tithe to Melchizedek. The context surrounding Abram’s saga was a rescue mission for his nephew Lot, which lead him into a warring conflict with city state kings. Now I don’t know how pastors and teachers can surmise that what Abram gave to Melchizedek amounted to a monetary tithe. The Bible is clear in Hebrews that Abram’s tithe was the spoils of war he captured in defeating enemy kings. The scripture never says Abram gave money to Melchizedek. And the pre-law tithe argument does not hold water because this was a tithe based on a war custom of the culture. The contents of Abram’s tithe came from what he took from the battlefield and not his personal income or wealth. And if you study the text closely, Abram only paid a tithe as a one-time act when he was in his eighties. The word study presented in this excerpt shows that Abram’s tithe consisted of goods, victuals, food supplies and other edible items and not money. Financial manipulation of the scripture can ruin your life.
Book Excerpt
Kleptomaniac
Examining the circumstances of the raid on Sodom and Gomorrah where Lot lived helps us understand what items Abram tithed to Melchizedek. Genesis 14:11-12 say, [Kings] “took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their provisions, and went their way. They also took Lot, Abram’s brother’s son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed” (NKJV). What do these verses tell us about the nature of Abram’s tithe? Since we’ve established the case for the spoils of war tithe, let’s investigate further.In the KJV, two words are important: goods and victuals. The Bible declares that the kings Abram fought had confiscated goods and victuals from Sodom and Gomorrah. Under an extreme personal theological financial bias, how could anyone assume Abram’s personal wealth was with him as he sought to recover the stolen goods and victuals?A word study is the only way to maintain the integrity of the verses. The word goods in Hebrew is Strong’s #7399 and it means, “rekuwsh.” In Hebrew, goods in verses 11-12 refer to personal property, substance, livestock, stores, and utensils. The kings walked out of Sodom and Gomorrah with movable possessions, supplies and valuables owned by the individuals including Lot; however, this does not necessarily refer to wages or money. A second important word in the text is victuals. The Hebrew word is Strong’s #400 and it means, “okel,” This word victual means the kings took things like cereal/grain, meat, and food supplies. Is the picture becoming clearer on what the tithe was in Genesis 14? It should be. What Abram tithed from based on the historical context of the spoils of war consisted of cattle, or valuables (including idols of precious metals), food, women, people, defeated warriors, weapons and money the soldiers pocketed.Abram’s tithe was not for the purpose to support a person, priesthood, or a religious institution because he never gave a tenth of his personal wealth. The tithe Abram gave derived from the spoils of war. This won’t sit well with biblical modernists who reference Abram’s tithe as a justification to demand a regular tithe from believers to financially support churches. I admit it is hard to teach the truth that tithing is not money when you are in hock to pay for a building mortgage and all the maintenance requirements for 30 to 40 years.
Amazon
Barnes&Noble
Apple Books
Kobo
Click Follow to receive emails when this author adds content on Bublish
Comment on this Bubble
Your comment and a link to this bubble will also appear in your Facebook feed.